I find these sort of semantical exercises somewhat backrupt in the end - one person's definition of "core rulebook" is different from the next one, and I think that certainly remains true here.
What do we mean by core rulebook?
If we mean, "The primary book which one needs to enter/play the game"... then DDI is absolutely not it, since it doesn't contain the core rules of the game. The PHB and Heroes of the Adjective Locations both serve those ends. Rules Compendium + DDI does the job, sure, but the second you need to 'attach' a physical rulebook to the DDI package, I think your argument falls apart.
If you mean, instead, "The primary book which is authoritative over all other content", then you might have more of a point, since DDI incorporates updates and Errata directly. Except... those same updates exist for free anyway. The books plus free updates have exactly as much authority as DDI. Newer books, in fact, have more authority - especially in recent days, when DDI has fallen behind on updates.
If you mean, instead, "The primary book designed for ultimate system balance, and the only product you can trust for a complete and balanced game"... well, in theory, all of 4E fits into that. At least, more so than any other edition - and any unbalanced content is just as likely to show up in DDI as anywhere else.
I mean, I think DDI is a great thing. I think it is a powerful tool for a game, and certainly the most effective investment in dollars to content that any D&D publisher has ever offered.
But proclaiming it as "the only" core rulebook for the game? In its current state, I see absolutely no legit definition of "core rulebook" that would support this hypothesis.
Might it become such one day? Maybe. Probably, even. But it isn't there yet - and even if it was, even if it did contain the complete rules you need to play the game, I don't think that could in any way negate the existence of other products that do the same.
As long as PHBs and HotFLs exist in stores, DDI will never be "the only core rulebook" for 4E D&D. Once it does... sure, it will be one entry point in the game. I don't see any logical inconsistency in having multiple different entry points into the game, each featuring different price-points, media formats, and specific content.
Of course, as I said, it all depends on how one defines "core rulebook". But outside of the generic, "A rulebook with approved resources for D&D" (which it, like every other current product, qualifies as), I don't see any definition that would put DDI quite on the pedestal that some seem to be aiming for.
What do we mean by core rulebook?
If we mean, "The primary book which one needs to enter/play the game"... then DDI is absolutely not it, since it doesn't contain the core rules of the game. The PHB and Heroes of the Adjective Locations both serve those ends. Rules Compendium + DDI does the job, sure, but the second you need to 'attach' a physical rulebook to the DDI package, I think your argument falls apart.
If you mean, instead, "The primary book which is authoritative over all other content", then you might have more of a point, since DDI incorporates updates and Errata directly. Except... those same updates exist for free anyway. The books plus free updates have exactly as much authority as DDI. Newer books, in fact, have more authority - especially in recent days, when DDI has fallen behind on updates.
If you mean, instead, "The primary book designed for ultimate system balance, and the only product you can trust for a complete and balanced game"... well, in theory, all of 4E fits into that. At least, more so than any other edition - and any unbalanced content is just as likely to show up in DDI as anywhere else.
I mean, I think DDI is a great thing. I think it is a powerful tool for a game, and certainly the most effective investment in dollars to content that any D&D publisher has ever offered.
But proclaiming it as "the only" core rulebook for the game? In its current state, I see absolutely no legit definition of "core rulebook" that would support this hypothesis.
Might it become such one day? Maybe. Probably, even. But it isn't there yet - and even if it was, even if it did contain the complete rules you need to play the game, I don't think that could in any way negate the existence of other products that do the same.
As long as PHBs and HotFLs exist in stores, DDI will never be "the only core rulebook" for 4E D&D. Once it does... sure, it will be one entry point in the game. I don't see any logical inconsistency in having multiple different entry points into the game, each featuring different price-points, media formats, and specific content.
Of course, as I said, it all depends on how one defines "core rulebook". But outside of the generic, "A rulebook with approved resources for D&D" (which it, like every other current product, qualifies as), I don't see any definition that would put DDI quite on the pedestal that some seem to be aiming for.
